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Defence researchers in Britain could soon take part in many more civilian
projects than at present, if the Department of Trade and Industry has its
way. Officials from the DTI said last week that they want the Treasury to
relax its rules, which forbid the Ministry of Defence from spending any
of its research budget on anything other than the ‘defence of the realm’.

‘That constraint has (restricted) the MoD’s ability to participate in
(civil) research programmes,’ said Ian Downing, head of the DTI’s innovation
policy unit, in evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Science
and Technology. Downing told the Lords that the MoD is as keen as the DTI
to have the rules relaxed.

The defence ministry wants to collaborate with industry to develop
so-called ‘dual-use’ technologies of equal value in defence and commercially.
These might include fuel cells, for example, that could provide clean sources
of power both for civilian and military vehicles. ‘We want greater access
to the enormous resources of defence technology,’ said Downing.